Sunday School
THE FOCUS OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL HOUR is Bible education (information). We also trust that the Holy Spirit does transforming work in us (formation) as we spend time in God’s Word and make connections to our everyday lives. Therefore, our classes focus on building a strong foundation of biblical knowledge and teaching how to study Scripture, reinforced with opportunities for children to engage with the stories and respond in acts of worship and prayer.
As we examine the Bible together, we are always looking for who God is and what God is doing, not just identifying moral lessons or stories of great heroes. We help children to see the arc of the Bible as one story of redemption, and we emphasize with each lesson that 1) The Bible is true and trustworthy 2) God is the main character of the story and 3) we have a very important role to play in God’s continuing story.
It is our hope that as children learn the stories of God, they will come to know and love God Himself.
Sunday School Classes
All kids begin the Sunday School hour in their age-appropriate classrooms, then come together for Kids Music time at the end of the hour.
Preschool & Kindergarten
Our preschoolers and kindergarteners spend time playing and getting to know each other. Each week during the Sunday School hour we share the same Bible story that will be presented in their Worship Center later that morning, so that repetition builds familiarity for our little ones. At the end of the hour our preschoolers and kindergarteners join our “big kids” for music time.
Young Elementary: 1st - 2nd Grades
Our Young Elementary program focuses on the major themes of the Bible by teaching chronologically through the whole Bible over a three year cycle, always looking for what we can know about God through each story. After the Bible story, children engage in creative extension activities to help them process the Bible story and make connections to their own lives. Our young elementary class uses The Gospel Project curriculum, which places special emphasis on seeing Jesus throughout the whole story of the Bible.
Older Elementary: 3rd – 5th Grades
Our Older Elementary program uses Phil Vischer’s What’s in the Bible? curriculum, which focuses on biblical literacy in a fun and engaging way, and is a great fit for this age. This class takes the kids on a two-year cycle through every book of the Bible, while also learning things like, What’s a Septuagint? What is redemption? Why are there two testaments? Who wrote the Bible? What is sanctification? How do we know the Bible is trustworthy? Who picked the books that are in the Bible?
Prayer Centers
We believe that children need time and space in their lives to process what they are learning about their faith, and to practice responding to God. Children become more comfortable with the idea of prayer as they are given various opportunities to try it themselves, in a setting that is calm and low pressure. Providing this experiential time also acknowledges that they are just as capable of talking to God and listening to God as adults.
In our prayer centers, children have the opportunity to write private prayers to God, to receive prayer from a friend, to contemplate names of God, to leave their prayer requests at the foot of the cross, and to hold their Immanuel brothers and sisters in prayer. We have found this to be a precious time for children and adult Shepherds alike; year after year we see children grow in their confidence as they pray boldly for each other, reminding one another about truth and hope found in Jesus.
